Atlas Biblica

    person · also Silvanus

    Silas

    Σίλας

    Silas (or Silvanus) was a prominent member of the Jerusalem church who accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey and co-wrote some of his epistles.

    verses
    17
    first named
    Acts 15:22
    last named
    1 Peter 5:12
    period
    the New Testament
    role
    Man

    Description

    Who was Silas?

    In the words of STEPBible TIPNR:

    Silas, also known as Silvanus, was a significant figure in the early Christian church, particularly in his role as a companion of the apostle Paul. He is first mentioned in Act.15.22 as a prominent member of the Jerusalem church, along with Judas Barsabbas, chosen to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch to deliver the decision of the Jerusalem Council regarding Gentile believers.

    Described as a prophet (Act.15.32), Silas played a vital role in encouraging and strengthening the churches. After parting ways with Barnabas, Paul chose Silas as his new companion for his second missionary journey (Act.15.40). Together, they traveled through Syria, Cilicia, and various cities in Asia Minor, preaching the gospel and establishing churches.

    In Philippi, Paul and Silas were imprisoned for their ministry but were miraculously freed by an earthquake (Act.16.19-40). They continued their journey, ministering in Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth (Act.17.1-18:5). Silas remained with Paul in Corinth for an extended period, helping him establish the church there.

    In addition to his missionary work, Silas is also mentioned as a co-author of some of Paul's epistles, specifically 1 and 2 Thessalonians (1Th.1.1; 2Th.1.1). He is also referred to as Silvanus in 2Co.1.19 and 1Pe.5.12, where he is described as a faithful brother.

    Silas' dedication to the gospel, his leadership in the early church, and his partnership with Paul make him an important figure in the spread of Christianity during the first century.

    Relations

    Direct connections

    Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.

    How the graph connects Silas10 of 16 entities the graph connects to Silas, in one group: events 10. Kinship, company and ground are stated relations; events counts the acts two entities stand in together and is not a relation. Each mark is sized by how many verses name that entity and labelled with the link and the count, so the grouping and the size are both readable without colour. Distance from the centre carries nothing.Jesus1 event · 1,160 versesJudah1 event · 1,023 versesPeople1 event · 838 versesTelling1 event · 212 versesPaul15 events · 182 versesFaith1 event · 146 versesTimothy8 events · 28 versesAntioch3 events · 14 versesBrothers4 events · 10 versesThessalonian Church2 events · 8 versesSilas

    The 10 best-attested of 16 are drawn. All 16 are listed below.

    Took part in

    Stands in the same events as

    and 13 more, ordered by how many events they share.

    Places

    Where this happens

    The places the claims about this person reach, drawn where the gazetteer locates them. A point is where a row puts them and never where tradition does; no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.

    Where the story of Silas happensAll 5 places the claims about Silas reach, on a map of the world the text moves through, framed to them: Berea, Amphipolis, Antioch, Apollonia, Macedonia. Each dot is a coordinate from the gazetteer, sized by how many rows put Silas there. The coastline is a modern one, simplified; no border, road or settlement of any period is drawn, and no line joins two points, because the rows state where and not in what order.BereaAmphipolisAntioch
    the New TestamentAll 5 places the claims about Silas reach

    Read it

    Where to read it

    Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 17, across 5 books.

    1. Acts13 verses

      15:2215:2715:3215:3415:4016:1916:2516:2917:417:1017:1417:1518:5

    2. 2 Corinthians1 verse

      1:19

    3. 1 Thessalonians1 verse

      1:1

    4. 2 Thessalonians1 verse

      1:1

    5. 1 Peter1 verse

      5:12

    One address is attested in the Hebrew or Greek and printed by no verse of the edition carried here, so it has no page to link to.

    Onward

    Where this page goes

    Not the direct relations above — these are one hop further out, ranked so that a rare shared connection outweighs a common one. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.

    via Paul, Silas, and Escorts’ journey of Paul and Paul, Silas, and Timothy’s recalling, and 1 morePaulApostle to the Gentiles, author of many NT epistlesvia Apostles, Elders, and Church’s selection of Judas and Silas and We’s sending of MenJudasA prophet and leader in the Jerusalem churchvia We’s sending of MenSendingSending is a concept gathering 488 labelled instances in the text.via We’s sending of MenTellingTelling is a concept gathering 189 labelled instances in the text.via Apostles, Elders, and Church’s selection of Judas and SilasBarnabasA Levite from Cyprus who accompanied Paul on missionary journeys.via Apostles, Elders, and Church’s selection of Judas and SilasSelectionSelection is a concept gathering 19 labelled instances in the text.via Paul, Silas, and Timothy’s recallingPrayerPrayer is a concept gathering 98 labelled instances in the text.via Paul, Silas, and Timothy’s recallingRemembranceRemembrance is a concept gathering 19 labelled instances in the text.via Paul, Silas, and Timothy’s recallingThessalonian ChurchThessalonian Church is a group attested across 8 verses, connecting 2 pageable entities.

    Where they appear

    Chapter by chapter

    Atlas's reading of each chapter this person appears in, in canonical order. One line per chapter, and each leads to the whole of it.

    Sources

    What this rests on